Social Gerontology, Ph.D.

Admission

To be eligible for admission to the Ph.D. program, applicants are normally required to have:

a. a completed Master’s degree with an average of at least B+ in a related aging and/or social sciences discipline.

b. demonstrated interest and experience in critical approaches to aging.

c. Admission to the Ph.D. program will normally be on a full-time basis only.

Applicants will be assessed on the basis of their qualifications and how well their interests align with the research interests and availability of faculty.

Requirements

Students will be required to complete six (6) half courses, which include:

i. HLTH AGE 701 Social Science Perspectives on Health and Aging  , HLTH AGE 702 Quantitative Research Methods in Studies of Health and Aging  , and HLTH AGE 714 Qualitative and Historical Methods in Studies of Health and Aging  

ii. HLTH AGE 713 Critical Perspectives on Aging  

iii. Two elective courses offered by Health, Aging & Society or by another department or academic unit (provided that permission has been obtained from those departments or academic units).

Additional Information

1.  Students entering the PhD program who have already taken any of the following courses: HLTH AGE 701  , 702  , 714  , and 713  , or their graduate level equivalent from another program/university, can apply for exemption through the Department of Health, Aging & Society.  Students who have been granted exemption for ALL courses stated above (or their graduate level equivalent) are still required to complete a minimum of 3 half courses offered by Health, Aging & Society or by another department or academic unit (provided that permission has been obtained from those departments or academic units).  Only two of the three half courses may be taken in a department or academic unit other than Health, Aging & Society.

2.  All doctoral students will be required to participate in a non-credit research and professional development seminar (one term in length).  Participation in the seminar will normally take place at the beginning of the second year in the program.

Comprehensive Examination

Students will take a comprehensive exam in their area of concentration in Social Gerontology.  The purpose of the exam is to ensure that the student has sufficient knowledge of the relevant scholarly literature in her/his area of research interest and that she/he is able to synthesize and communicate this literature in a critically insightful way.  The comprehensive exam will also have an oral component (defence of the written answers) and will be assessed by the supervisory committee.

Thesis

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree will present a thesis which shows competence in original research and will be required to defend it during a final oral examination.